Make Five Changes in 2015!

Conquer your fear of change this year

There is an old Garfield comic that I love. The thought-bubble above his head said, “I went on a diet for two weeks and all I lostâ€¦ was two weeks!”

How many times have you said you are going to do that one thing or make that one change so you can be, do or have something different than what you have? Many people often set unrealistic goals, like losing 30 pounds, finding true love or earning a million dollars this year!

But I am addicted to change too! I have trained myself to embrace and harness the power of change to catapult the results I get in my life by doing this one simple, innocent thing: I take five!Â

Like Garfield, I was a slow starter and preferred inertia and lasagna over moving and eating my greens. I needed a little trick to get me going.

Possibly, like you, each New Years Eve I set myself up with an exciting new thought process about how fabulous I will be when I (fill in your blank) then proceed to incrementally let myself down by not doing anything about it. I had become addicted to the feeling I got. Then I took a small step or made a change to my routine or my habits. I didnâ€™t always like the feeling, but Iâ€™ve gotten used to it. Now I seek it out. If something isnâ€™t working I have a point of reference and a simple skill I can act upon.Â

“Even if youÂ are atÂ the office and John from the mailroom sees you, who cares?”

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.

Make five changes that take no more than five minutes each. Do this for five months and then decide if it works, and if it does, then do it for five more months. Not four changes for 10 minutes for six months. Make one change a day, then two changes a day and then if it’s still working, make all five changes, but only for five months! It has to have an ending or it doesnâ€™t work as well.

FIVE FOR FIVE! THAT’S THE KEY.

Here are some ideas that worked great for me and they will work great for you too.

1) Wake up five minutes later than you usually do for five days in a row, once a week for five months. You are either getting up before you want to and being grumpy or hitting your snooze button and rushing around anyway. Give yourself permission to get up at the exact time you say you will get up for five days. See how you feel after the first week. Do it again.

2) Add five percent more to your monthly savings account for five months. If you save $10 a month, change it to $10.50. If you save $100 a month, change it to $105. After five months, increase it again (the whole amount) to another five percent. Repeat this every five months and you will find a noticeable difference in your savings account.

3) Call or email five people (not Facebook friends) you have not spoken to or seen in over five years. You know who they are. You also know why you no longer are in contact. Take five minutes and think about who you would love to reconnect with and why, or if there is something left unsaid. If there is, just say it.

4) Add five minutes to your exercise program. If you do 10 minutes of walking, do 15 instead. If you are doing a 60-minute Zumba class, just add a five-minute stretch. If you donâ€™t have an exercise program, start by doing five minutes of any exercise for five days in a row. Even if you are at your desk, or watching TV, you can do a sit-up anywhere.Â

5) Close your eyes and focus on your breathing for five minutes everyday for five days. It doesnâ€™t have to be at the same time of day. Even if you are the office and John from the mailroom sees you, who cares? You may inspire someone else to take five of anything in 2015.

“I have trained myself to embrace and harnessÂ the powerÂ of change.”

Taking five for 2015 requires no effort to get big results. Even a five-second delay before a habit kicks in or a five degree shift of a thought before doing something normal could be the beginning of something amazing.

Make 2015 your year to become addicted to powerful, positive change in your life five little steps at a time.

Steffany Hanlen is a performance coach who trains high-profile professional athletes, including NHL hockey players and Olympians, as well as amateur athletes. Steffany's strategies worked equally well for others looking to achieve success and she also coaches artists, business leaders and many others reach their dream.
steffanyhanlen.com